Family Won't Give Up
by adelaidybug
Summary: Claudia has been missing for over two years, but the team finally finds her. Where has she been? Will she ever be the same? Warning, this story is going to be rather dark. All the major characters will have some part in this story.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello readers! I've been sitting on the beginnings of this story for a while, and have finally decided to post it. But I'm still working on a continuation of it. **

**It's also set in a slightly Alternate Universe, where Leena is alive. Mrs. Frederic is also still the caretaker.**

**WARNING: This story contains suggested themes of abuse, rape, and torture, though none will be explicitly described. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warehouse 13 or any of its characters. Warehouse 13 is the property of Jack Kenney. No money has exchanged hands with regards to this story.**

* * *

The team had been on the trail of an artifact for three days. A tiara which made the wearer's immune system impassible had been stolen from a museum by a petty thief. They guessed he didn't even know of its supernatural abilities.

As Artie did his research, his thoughts once again wandered to Claudia. The old agent put his head in his hand and rubbed his eyebrows. It had been two and a half years, but the pain was still fresh.

The girl had gone to relax at a local bar after a particularly long day, shortly after her 21st birthday. That night she had never come home. Her purse with her Farnsworth, phone, and wallet had been found in an alleyway two days later. Although there was an extensive search by the police and the Warehouse agents, she had never been found. The team still put up flyers and did research, but they had been told she was likely either dead or had been trafficked.

Artie tried to focus on his research, but wasn't getting anywhere when Leena came in to check on him.

"Need a break?"

"Oatmeal scotchies?"

The woman nodded and handed him the plate. "Do you want to talk?"

"No. It's just... About her."

"I know." She put her hand on his slumped shoulder.

"Do you still think about her?"

"Every day."

"Do you think she's…"

"No Artie, I don't think she's dead."

* * *

The tiara thief's house had been located, and Pete, Myka, Steve, and HG had gone together to collect the artifact. They were concerned there might be a gang in the house, so all four of them went.

Steve entered the house quietly. Pete, Myka, and HG were guarding his back. After searching several rooms, he heard a gunshot and whipped to the side, where a man stood holding a large shotgun, a woman cowering behind him.

"Drop your weapon now!"

After seeing the four of them, the man did. As Pete made sure he was otherwise unarmed, and Myka cuffed the woman, they heard muffled screams.

"What's that?"

"Nothing. The TV," the woman said.

Steve and HG followed the noise to a door which led down to a basement. Going downstairs, they couldn't find anyone. The room was empty besides a bookshelf and a couch.

"Is someone down here?"

They heard a scream for help which seemed to be coming from behind the shelf. HG tugged at it experimentally, and it swung on hinges, revealing a heavy door with three locks on it. At first, Steve wondered how he had heard the screams, but then he noticed a small vent at the top. Unlocking the door, they opened it and found a dark, damp room which smelt of blood and human waste. A young woman was in the corner of the room on the floor. She was bound hand and foot, and had a cloth gag. HG quickly bent to remove the gag.

"You've gotta help, please help her," the girl blurted out immediately.

"Okay, it's okay. Who needs help?"

"You have to help Claudia!"

Steve's stomach twisted into a knot. It couldn't be his Claudia...

It was hard to see, so he turned on a flashlight from his belt and made out a dirty mattress on one side of the room. Turning, he flashed his light on the form of a second woman. She was tied to a chair, and her head was lolling to one side, her matted hair covering part of her face. Steve reached to check her pulse on her neck, which was thready and rapid. Then, he hesitantly lifted her hair from her face.

HG gasped. "Is that..."

"It's Claudia," Steve answered breathlessly.

"What happened to her?"

"She's really sick. I don't know what's wrong… I tried to take care of her..." The other young woman's voice sounded distant and childish. She seemed to be caught in her own world.

"It's okay, darling, we know."

"HG, can you call an ambulance?"

"Of course."

Steve worked at the knots binding Claudia's wrists to the arms of the chair as he tried to digest this information. As he pulled them off, he could see how much she had struggled; her wrists were raw and bloody. Next, he got her feet unbound, and finally as the rope around her torso loosened, she slumped forward and he caught her.

"Claude, it's okay. I'm here. It's okay." He picked the girl up and she let out a tiny, pitiful moan. She was far too light.

Meanwhile, HG told the 911 operator the address and situation.

The girl in the corner had been waiting patiently.

"Hello darling, I'm Helena. What's your name?" the brunette asked as she worked on the knotted ropes.

"I'm Diana."

"How long have you been here, Diana?"

"Six years."

She finished untying the knots. "Do you think you can walk?"

The younger woman nodded. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to the hospital to assure everything is alright."

"But they don't want me to leave!"

"Who? That man and his wife?"

"They said they'd kill me if I leave! And if I leave, there will be no one to protect Claudia."

"It's okay. We'll bring you somewhere safe. They can't hurt you now. And Claudia is coming along."

HG helped the girl stand up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said distantly, but then stumbled as HG quickly caught her.

"Diana, I'm going to carry you up, alright?"

When they got outside, two ambulances were waiting, and a number of police men were surrounding the man and his wife, reading them their rights. Once HG had set Diana on a gurney, she stalked over to them and put her face inches from the man's.

"You are infinitely lucky that the justice system arrived before I got my hands on you, or you would be suffering far more than those two girls ever did."

Myka approached quickly. "What's going on?"

"We found Claudia," HG said slowly.

"What?!" Myka ran over to where Steve was placing Claudia on a gurney, but stopped when she saw the woman up close. Her hands slid to cover her mouth and said something unintelligible. Pete had also wandered over, and his fist was pressed to his mouth, his whole body tense.

"I'm going in the ambulance with her," Myka piped up suddenly.

"I suppose I'll go with Diana. She was also in the basement. I don't want her to be alone," HG said. Pete and Steve drove to the hospital and stayed in the waiting room while doctors examined Diana and Claudia in separate rooms.

They cut off the ratty dress Claudia was wearing in order to examine her. Myka sucked in a breath when she saw the young woman's body. It was covered in bruises, cuts, and scars. Some of the scratches looked more organized, and when she took a closer look, she felt dizzy.

"I need to go for a while," she said to a doctor. "Let me know if she wakes up or if you need info on her. I'll be in the waiting room." After that, she quickly left. HG was talking with the men when she reached the waiting room.

"Did she wake up?"

"Is she alright?"

"They... They cut her," Myka said, feeling sick.

"What?"

"They carved horrible names into her skin."

Steve's jaw clenched tightly. "I swear to god, I'll kill them."

"Not if I get to them first," HG said crisply.

Myka sat down. "I don't think she's had a shower since she was abducted. And she has these bruises and scars everywhere. Steve, do you think he..."

"Of course he did. Why else would he have kept her there."

Myka stared at the ground. "Any word on the other girl?"

"She started to panic, so they subdued her. Her heart rate is jumpy, so they'll either move her to the ICU or the telemetry unit," HG replied.

"I'll go check on Claude again." Myka entered the room again and saw the doctor examining Claudia's lower region. The young woman now had an IV and a heart monitor, but was still unconscious. After several minutes and much scribbling on a clipboard, the woman stood.

"I'm doctor Caroline Baur."

"I'm Myka Bering."

"I'm going to send these swabs and blood down to the lab, and keep one of each for court uses. They should be helpful for her case. Are you family?"

"No. But I know her power of attorney, Arthur Weisfelt. Do you need him to come in and sign things?"

"Yes."

"I'll call him."

"Okay. Ms Bering, I know this is a lot to handle, but Claudia needs you now more than ever."

Myka nodded and went to call Artie. She had no idea how she would tell him.

* * *

Artie had come to the hospital and come into the cubicle to see Claudia. She had been dressed in a papery hospital gown, and looked so tiny and broken. The agent scarcely heard Doctor Baur as she tried to explain all of Claudia's medical issues and the course of treatment she recommended. But somehow, he gathered that his surrogate daughter had two serious infections, some heart problems, and traces of methadone were found in her bloodstream. He stared at her face, which was covered in grime, with traces of what looked like dried blood near her nose and creeping from her hairline. How could anyone do this to her? Artie boiled with rage.

As they were transferring Claudia up to the ICU, Myka had a chance to talk to Artie.

"Hey, how are you holding up?"

"I need to murder the bastard who did this to her."

"I know. But Artie, that's not what she needs right now. She needs you to be here for her."

"I know. She's so sick, it's just…To think we lost her and then to lose her again-"

"Artie, we're not going to lose her. She has a kidney infection, a uterine infection, and a heart murmur. She'll recover from those."

"But who knows how she'll be psychologically? It's been over two years. The trauma from a situation like she's been in never really goes away. What will we do? Or say?"

Myka put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll help her through it. As a family."

* * *

**Poor Claudia. What did you think? Any ideas or suggestions?**

**Also, if anyone is great at writing Pete or Myka, let me know, as I rather suck at it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warehouse 13 or any of its characters. They are the property of Jack Kenney and the Syfy network. No money has exchanged hands during the writing or publishing of this story.**

**So, this story is really engaging to write, but is also kind of a challenge. If anyone is interested in Beta reading or collaborating with me on this story, let me know!**

* * *

Myka and Artie had stayed overnight in the ICU with Claudia, and in the early morning hours, the female agent went out to get them some coffee. She felt like a zombie wandering the halls. Neither of the agents had slept, wanting to be there when Claudia awoke. Finally, after searching several halls, Myka found a cappuccino machine and soon was on her way back to the room with two of the crappiest coffees either person would ever drink.

Myka entered the dark ICU room and asked,"Has she stirred?"

"No, not yet."

She handed him the coffee and they both sat as they had for much of the night, staring at their friend, his surrogate daughter, her surrogate sister.

"Artie why-"

"Don't try to make sense of it, Myka. It doesn't make any sense why someone would do that. It will never make any sense."

The brunette nodded slowly as she took another sip of her rather disgusting coffee.

* * *

Later that morning, Claudia's eyelids began to flutter and she made a pained expression.

"Claudia?" Myka couldn't suppress the waiver in her voice. She had missed the spunky redhead so much, and wasn't sure if she would ever be the same.

The young woman's eyes opened slowly. Blinking rapidly, Claudia looked around, trying to figure out where she was, and suddenly she began to panic. Artie quickly left to find the doctor. Claudia pulled her shaking hands out from under the blankets and reached to rip out her IV when Myka grabbed her wrists.

"Hey, Claudia it's okay. It's me. It's Myka. You're in the hospital. You're safe now."

Beginning to hyperventilate, she tried to wrench herself free, but the wasted muscles in her arms couldn't release her from Myka's grip. Her heart monitors were sounding alarms, and she was whimpering with each feeble attempt at escape. Doctor Bauer rushed in followed by Artie.

"Claudia, I'm Dr Bauer. Can you look at me?"

Her heart rate skyrocketed as she stopped struggling and sat shaking like a leaf, sucking in shallow breaths, her eyes glazed over. The doctor quickly pulled a syringe from her pocket.

"She's having a panic attack and her numbers are in the danger zone. I'm going to need to sedate her," she said, quickly injecting Claudia. The woman's eyes shut, and soon she relaxed back in the bed. Myka gently let go of Claudia's wrists. She was fighting against tears. Artie was standing in the corner of the room, his eyebrows knit together.

"It's likely Claudia is still experiencing disorientation from the methadone. After taking a closer look at her labs, it seems she's dependent on it. Once she is more stable, We're going to wean her off it slowly. But she's also adjusting to a new environment, so her panic is very understandable."

"Is there anything we can do to make this easier for her?" Artie held his head in one hand.

"You're already doing it. You're here. She needs you to be here; to be patient and realize this will be a long process. She'll probably wake up in 6 or 7 hours, but it may be more because of how exhausted she is. She's very malnourished and that, along with her infections are probably going to make her pretty lethargic for a while. I'm going to put her on an anxiety medication with sedatives as needed to help with her panic."

The two exhausted agents thanked the doctor as she left, and settled into their quiet routine again, Artie picking up a newspaper, and Myka paging through _Swan's Way_.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! What did you think? Is it going too fast, too slow? What does this story need? I've only gotten one review on this story, so I don't know what you guys like or want in this story!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello Readers! Thank you for being so patient in waiting for the next installment. **

**Exciting news! The wonderful dogshowgirl has agreed to collaborate with me on this story! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warehouse 13 or any of its characters. Warehouse 13 is the property of Jack Kenney and the Syfy network. No money has exchanged hands in the writing or publishing of this story.**

* * *

Twelve hours after the traumatizing wake up, Artie had gone home to rest, and Steve now sat with Myka. As the sedatives wore off, Claudia entered consciousness more gently. Her eyes squinted and blinked slowly. Myka deftly moved to hold the girl's arms for fear she would panic and hurt herself.

"Hey Claude, it's Myka. You're in the hospital. You're safe, it's okay. You're safe now."

Claudia's eyes drifted slowly up to Myka, then widened as her cracked lips parted slightly.

"If I let go of you, are you going to freak out?"

She shook her head slightly. Myka slowly let go of the girl's wrists, but slid to hold one hand. The girl looked around the room slowly and spotted Steve.

"Hey Claude."

Her eyes welled up with tears and soon a great sob shook Claudia's body. More followed.

"You're safe now, Claudia," Myka said, mumbling comforting phrases and holding her hand tightly as the young woman in the hospital bed gradually calmed down. Myka had pressed the nurse button, and soon the doctor walked in. Claudia flinched a bit, and Steve had a feeling if she hadn't been sedated, she would have been in a panic.

"It's okay, Claude," Myka mumbled soothingly.

"Hello Claudia, I'm doctor Caroline Bauer. Can I ask you a few questions?" The woman's voice was gentle. She knew how frightened Claudia had to be.

The patient nodded slowly, her eyes droopy and pained.

"If you could rate your pain level from 0; being no pain, to 10; being the worst pain you've ever felt, what number would you give it?"

She looked down for a long time, and the doctor was about to repeat herself when Claudia held up her hands. Her fingers were slightly curled, and her thumbs were barely bent out of the way to show eight fingers.

"Okay. Claudia, can you tell me your last name?"

"D-do-o-o-onnn-" The girl stopped coughed. Sounding out the simple name seemed impossible, and the stuttering voice emanating from her sounded nothing like her own. Claudia's throat felt like it was on fire.

"It's okay. Take your time."

She tried again. "D-d-dooo-oonnn-nn-" Stopping again, she allowed tears to trickle down her cheeks again as she held her throat. She knew her last name, but her brain wouldn't process the word and let her spit it out.

"Does your throat hurt?"

She nodded, but tried again. "Doooonnnn-nnnooo-ooo-" frustrated, she looked down.

"Could she write instead?" Myka pulled a pad of paper and a pen from her bag.

"Yes, that's okay. Would you prefer that?"

The patient nodded, still holding her throat. Myka handed her the paper.

"Okay, so can you write down your last name for me?"

The girl tried to pick up the pen a few times, and finally Myka helped her. Her hand was shaking badly. Fine motor skills had not been a necessity in her life in the basement, and she hadn't really used them since she was abducted. It took her a long time to form the letters, even with Myka's hand holding hers up.

**Donovan**

The writing was shaky and large, like a small child's.

"Good job. What's your birth date?"

Again, Claudia wrote slowly and shakily.

They continued with simple questions like that for several minutes. It took a while for Claudia to process, and longer for her to write, but she seemed to remember all the simple facts about who she was. She didn't know what year it was or how she had gotten to the hospital.

After scribbling notes on a clipboard, Dr. Bauer asked, "Do you have any questions for me right now?"

Claudia wrote slowly - **Diana?**

"Oh, she's here in the hospital. HG is making sure she's taken care of. We can visit her soon," Myka promised.

"I'm going to ask you to wait to see her till you're out of the ICU," the doctor said gently.

Claudia's face fell, and she nodded slowly.

"It's okay, Claude. Maybe we can farnsworth HG and then you two can see each other."

"Doctor Bauer, I have a question," Steve piped up from his chair. "What's going on with Claudia's voice?"

"It's probably a number of things. I'm guessing vocal strain from… screaming caused the raspiness."

Claudia looked down and nodded.

"As far as the stutter goes, it could be from trauma, possibly from her methadone addiction. It could also be from… electrocution."

"What?" Steve's voice was sharp.

"Did you experience electrocution during your time there, Claudia?"

She pressed her lips together and nodded again as tears flooded her eyes. The young woman looked so beaten and exhausted.

Myka's emotions were mixed between boiling hatred for Claudia's captors and deep sadness for the girl herself. The agent remembered that day in Fargo's game world when Claudia's worst nightmare was revealed to them. She had been absolutely terrified of electrocution. Briefly, she had explained to Myka about her electroshock therapy treatments. That was one of the rare days when Claudia had let her guard down, and shown how terrified she was. And to have experienced electrocution while already in such deplorable conditions had to have been incredibly difficult for the young woman.

"I'm going to have you start working with a speech therapist and physical therapist tomorrow, okay?"

Claudia nodded, then bent down and wrote something on her notepad. It was almost illegible without Myka's help.

**Tired**

"Yes, I'm sure you are," the doctor said. "Why don't we let you get some rest." Dr. Bauer left, and Myka settled into her chair with some reading and Steve went for a cup of coffee.

After the talk with the doctor, Claudia was given a sedative and fell asleep immediately, exhausted from the interaction.

The patient slept through the night, and while she was sedated, someone came in and gave her a sponge bath and combed through her matted, filthy hair. She looked a bit more like herself without the grime, but as each layer of dirt was removed, more bruises and scars and sores were made evident. Her hair was now brunette, the red hair dye having faded. When she woke the next morning, her eyes drooped with sedation. She panicked for a moment, but the sedative allowed her to be calm enough to realize where she was. Myka had fallen asleep in the big comfy chair next to the bed.

"M-mmmm-mmyy-mmyyyykkk-aaa-" The curly-headed woman's eyes opened and saw Claudia concentrating and holding her throat as she stuttered through the name.

"Hey, good job Claude," Myka said with a smile. "What's up?"

The former red-head wrote something down then held up the notepad.

**Artie**

"Do you want him to come by?"

She nodded fervently.

"Okay, I'll see if he can come later today."

The sedatives forced Claudia back to sleep, and Myka picked up her farnsworth and buzzed Artie.

"How is she?"

"She's um…." Myka got up and left the room, not wanting Claudia to hear her. "Artie, she can barely even talk. She was electrocuted and apparently that messes with your brain or something, but she's in so much pain and they keep having to sedate her, and-" Myka trailed off.

The grey-haired agent looked away for a moment, trying to compose himself.

"She wants you to come see her."

"She does?"

"Yeah. Maybe you could bring a laptop or something… She really can't talk and her body is so weak that she has trouble writing."

"Okay, I'll find something."

After the two agents hung up, Myka walked back into the room to find that Steve had come in while she was gone.

"Hey, how is everyone holding up back at the B&B?"

"Oh, you know. No one is quite sure how to react. But they sent gifts. Pete sent that," he said, pointing to a humongous stuffed bear in the corner of the room. "And Leena sent flowers, but I had to leave them at the desk because of the ICU regulations."

After more weary chit-chat, the two settled into comfortable silence. Suddenly Claudia let out a whimper and flailed in her blankets. Myka walked quickly over and stroked the girl's hair, telling her it was okay until Claudia could lift her fog of sedation enough to remember where she was.

Steve got up from his chair, walking to Claudia's bedside. He paused, looking at the pale, deflated girl lying in the bed. It only took him a second for it all to finally register; all that had happened to her became real for the first time. He flung himself toward her, careful not to put his entire weight on her, or press on her bruises.

Myka quietly excused herself, and left the room, knowing that neither of the two heard her.

Claudia, in her sedated state, briefly wondered if this is how Steve felt when she clung onto him after she used the metronome and brought him back to life. She didn't care though, because right then, in that moment, everything was okay. She felt her best friend shake against her as he cried silently.

Claudia looked around the room, not knowing what to do in this situation. She had her best friend stretched out over her, crying, and she had no idea why. She thought back to when she brought Steve back, and tried to do for him, what he did for her. She tried to wrap her arms around him, but searing pain brought that thought crashing down. Instead she settled for placing her head on his shoulder, and her hand on his upper arm.

Steve felt Claudia shift beneath him, and he instantly started to pull away, thinking that he was hurting her. But then he felt the weight of her head come to rest on his shoulder, and he went back to clinging to her. He tried to measure his breaths, not wanting to hurt Claudia. He counted, drawing in air in a steady rhythm, calming himself.

Claudia felt Steve start to relax, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears of pain. She knew that Steve was trying to keep his weight off of her, but her sensitivity to everything, made him feel heavy anyway. She was holding off, trying to keep herself together, not wanting to let the pain show, because she knew that the second she did, Steve would be off of her, and apologizing for hurting her, and she didn't want that.

After a few minutes, Steve pulled himself off of the girl, noticing that she began to shift more frequently beneath him. He studied her face, and saw her pinched expression. He knew that look. It was her "I'm in pain" look, and he had seen too many times. He slowly reached out and touched her cheek, dragging his finger toward her ear, taking strands of faded red hair with it.

Claudia turned her head, looking at Steve through half-lidded eyes, the sedatives making everything hazy. She reached up, ignoring the ache in her shoulder, and grasped Steve's hand, pulling it away from her face. She watched him, studying his face. He was hurting. Not in the physical way that she was, but emotionally. She knew how bad hurting emotionally was. She carried that pain around with her for twelve years. She knew how to fix it.

Claudia let go of Steve's hand, and she saw his face fall. She moved to the far side of the bed, watching Steve the entire time. Once she was in position, she grasped Steve's hand again, and pulled lightly, waiting for his body to follow his hand. Steve finally realized that she was trying to help him, and he shifted so he was sitting awkwardly next to her. Claudia pulled him closer, bringing his entire body onto the bed with her.

When Steve was in the right position, Claudia pulled him down, and snuggled against him, like she had done so many times on the couch of the B&B. She rested her head on his chest, and waited for him to respond. Steve wrapped an arm around her upper body, and he felt her pull herself closer to him.

Steve shifted, snaking his other arm beneath her, and rested his head on top of hers. He smiled, knowing that she did this, not because she needed it, but because he did. Claudia nuzzled against Steve, and he heard her whisper something.

"I-I-i'mm-m g-glad yy-you'rrrre h-her-re."

"So am I."

Steve pulled her closer, even though she was impossibly close already. Claudia's breathing began to slow, and soon the heart monitors were beeping at a steady pace. She was asleep. Knowing that she was okay, Steve felt himself begin to fall under the beckoning cloud.

Soon, both were asleep, cuddled together.

* * *

**Well, what did you think? I love to get reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello Readers! Thanks for your patience and here's the next chapter.**

**Many thanks to my fabulous collaborative, dogshowgirl!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warehouse 13 or any of its characters. Warehouse 13 and its characters are the property of Jack Kenney and the Syfy network. No money has or will exchange hands in the process of writing and posting this story.**

* * *

When Claudia awoke again, she was too groggy to remember where she was, or the fact that the warm body next to hers was not in fact that of her captor. She let out a strangled scream and pushed Steve away with both hands. Scrambling off the hospital bed rapidly, she tried to get away. But between the many electrodes and wires, her weak legs, and her still foggy head, she crumpled to the ground.

HG, who was just walking into the room, reacted quickly. Within a matter of seconds, she was pushing past Steve, who knew better than to get near the terrified woman.

"Claudia, can you hear me?"

Her too small frame shook as she rocked back and forth. A nurse came in quickly, holding a syringe, but HG put a warning hand up.

"I need you to look at me, darling. I know you're in a rough spot, but you don't want to be put under again, do you?"

Slowly, the former redhead looked up, eyes wide. The nurse pocketed the plastic syringe, not wanting to scare the girl more.

"I-is th-thii-iss r-real?"

"Yes, Claudia. You're safe now. Steve was next to you and that must've startled you a bit. How about we get you back in bed and I see about getting you a cup of tea?"

She nodded slowly and HG helped her back in bed, the nurse untangling her wires.

Within half an hour, Claudia's first meal since she had been found was sitting before her. She stared at the large platter as if she wasn't exactly sure what to do with it. A large bowl of broth, a cup of lemon ice, and a mug of hot tea awaited her. The doctor wanted to try clear liquids before giving her solid foods, as her digestive tract was a bit of a mess. Claudia's lip was barely quivering, but Steve could tell she was trying her best to not cry.

"It's a bit overwhelming, isn't it?" HG asked from the comfortable chair opposite the hospital bed. The former redhead simply nodded.

"It's alright, darling. Take your time."

She tried to pick up her spoon, but her shaky hand kept fumbling. Seeing her struggle was too much caused Steve to wrap his hand over Claudia's and steadily bring a spoonful of broth to the girl's mouth. Before long, Claudia had consumed all that was in her bowl, the lemon ice, and was holding her cup of tea with two shaky hands, taking a comforting sip every few minutes.

There was a knock on the door and Claudia jumped, spilling a bit of the tea on herself. She shakily handed the mug to Steve as Dr. Bauer walked in.

"How was your meal, Claudia?"

"F-f-fin-ne."

"Good. After a few tests we ran overnight, it looks like we should be able to get you out of the ICU today and to a regular ward."

Though Claudia didn't exactly smile, it was the brightest Steve had seen her since finding her a couple of days ago.

"There's just one thing I'd like to do before we move you. You are very undernourished, and I'm guessing you have been for some time. Not only is that itself dangerous, it also messes with your healing infections and is probably part of why you feel so lethargic. I think the best course of action would be to give you an NG feeding tube. It goes from your nose, down your throat and into your stomach and it will help you get healthier faster. I don't feel comfortable releasing you to the general wards without it."

Claudia thought for a moment before stuttering, "O-ok-kay."

* * *

Leena walked slowly through the hospital corridor, scanning room numbers, searching for the one Claudia was in. After a few more seconds of walking, she found the right room. She lightly knocked before twisting the doorknob, and pushing it open.

She didn't know what she was expecting, but the sight that met her wasn't it. The girl that was curled into herself on the bed, was not the snarky red-head she was used to. This wasn't the Claudia she remembered. Leena wasn't sure that was even the tech-genius. She stepped inside the room, and quietly shut the door.

Leena stepped closer to the girl, examining her aura. Before she was abducted, Claudia's aura was a raging purple, with wisps of red, blue, the occasional pink, and a small sliver of black. The purple told of her personality; imagination, wisdom, maturity, and dignity. The red spoke for her everyday self; energy, courage, inner-strength, tenacity, and drive. The blue showed her softer side; respect, trust, faith, honor, and recovery. The black showed her angered side; resentment, distrust, hurt, abuse, pain.

But the pink told about her strength; victory, dedication, and will-power. The colors told Leena more about Claudia than the girl ever could have. She carried the weight of the world on her shoulders, and felt responsible for every little thing that went wrong.

But now, the once vibrant aura, was a dull, muddied grey, with large black spots. The colors were conflicted. The grey said she felt nothing, was numb. But the black said that she felt nothing but pain and resentment.

Leena shook her head, trying to not focus on the barely-there colors surrounding the girl. She walked forward, quickly reaching the girl's bedside, and placed a hand on the girl's arm. The hospital gown slipped, and exposed the black and blue flesh of Claudia's shoulder. Leena gasped, not expecting to see the bruises.

Claudia stirred, feeling a warm weight on her arm. She jerked away, the pain rushing through her shoulder making her regret it. She heard someone speak to her, calling her name. She turned her head, her red-tipped hair getting in her eyes. A hand came up to her face, gently pushing the dull hair aside. Her eyes opened, and Claudia tried to focus on the object next to her. She blinked once, twice, and finally was able to see. Her eyes came to land on the face of Leena, someone she didn't expect to see.

Leena reached out again, this time placing her hand next to Claudia. Leena smiled,

"Hi,"

Claudia gave a small wave of her fingers.

"How are you feeling?"

Claudia tried to smirk, and lifted her right hand, struggling to lift her thumb toward the ceiling.

Leena smiled at her, seeing a small piece of the snarky teenager shine through.

"Can I get you anything?"

Claudia shook her head, slightly wincing at the pain.

"Are you in pain?"

Claudia just looked at Leena, one eyebrow raised.

"Sorry."

Leena waited for a few moments before trying again.

"Will you talk?"

Claudia shook her head, pressing her lips together.

"Can you talk?"

Claudia raised a a flattened hand, and shook it, making an "iffy" sign.

"Okay."

Leena stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. She felt Claudia tap on her arm, and immediately turned around. She watched as Claudia pointed her, then to a table, then made a scribbling motion with her hand. Leena remembered Myka telling her that Claudia was currently using a dry-erase board as her main form of communication.

Leena walked over to the table, picked up the small whiteboard, and handed it to Claudia, who propped her arm up against the pillows and began to write. Slowly but surely, Claudia began to draw out the words. Leena could tell that the girl had been practicing her writing. It was legible, and it looked, although very sloppy, like the half-cursive that Claudia used to write in.

Claudia shakily held up the board, waiting for the older woman to take it. Leena grasped the board, struggling to decipher the words.

It's nice to see you.

Leena smiled,

"It's nice to see you too."

Claudia grabbed for the board, and Leena handed it back. After a minute, new words graced the smooth, white surface.

Artie?

Leena's face fell. She knew the reason Artie hadn't come to see the girl while she was awake, but Claudia didn't.

"He's been really busy."

Claudia dropped her head, erasing the name of the man who was more of a father to her than anything.

I was afraid of that.

Leena didn't know what to say to Claudia.

"He'll be by soon."

Right.

"He will. I promise you."

Claudia shrugged, handing the now clean board back to Leena.

The older woman needed to leave, she didn't have her thoughts together, and she wasn't used to that.

"Claud, I need to get back now, but I'll be back later okay?"

Claudia nodded, slipping further down the pillows. She finger-waved goodbye to Leena as she turned and shut the door. Once again, she was all alone.

* * *

**Hey, thanks for reading! Unfortunately, I need to take a break from fanfiction in order to deal with some health issues, but hopefully I'll be back in a month or so and can resume this story. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back! This chapter is brought to you by my fabulous collaborator-dogshowgirl, and myself!**

**TRIGGER WARNING: for mentions of abuse**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warehouse 13 or any of its characters. They are the property of Jack Kenney and the SyFy network. No money has exchanged hands in relation to this story.**

* * *

One morning, a week later, Claudia awoke screaming from a particularly vivid nightmare. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her gently, and she began to struggle. It took her a minute to stop fighting, and realize that it was Steve that was holding her. She stilled, her breathing still erratic. After she calmed down, the girl melted into the embrace and shook with a sob as her best friend stroked her back soothingly.

"Hey... hey, I'm here. You're safe now." To his credit, he didn't say that things were okay.

Once the shaken tech-genius calmed down, Steve slowly pulled away and looked at her face, but the girl refused to look him in the eyes.

"What do you need? Can I do anything for you?"

Claudia thought for a moment, then grabbed the whiteboard from her bed-side table, and wrote slowly.

**I need a shower**

"Yeah... Claude, I don't know how likely that is, just because of, you know, how... fragile you are."

The girl looked a bit frantic as she began to write again. Once finished, she handed the board to Steve, a grim expression spreading over her face.

**I can still smell him on him. Feel his hands.**

Steve's jaw clenched as he pulled the shaking girl to him again.

"I'll go talk to one of the nurses and see what I can do."

Claudia nodded in thanks as the agent released her from his grip.

* * *

At the nurses station, Steve pleaded with one of the nurses that regularly tended to Claudia.

"Please... she needs it. She doesn't feel comfortable. Trust me, I know her. It will help."

Nurse Jenny looked at Steve with a sympathetic expression, "I'm sorry, I can't let her. Between the feeding tube, and the IV, I'm afraid that it just isn't a good idea."

"She wakes up screaming at night because she thinks she is still in that basement. Because she can still smell him on her."

Nurse Jenny sighed in resignation, "I'll talk to the doctor and see what I can do, okay?"

Steve smiled his best charm smile, "Thank you. I know that it will help her. Thank you."

* * *

Somehow, Nurse Jenny had convinced the doctor to let Claudia bathe, despite the feeding tube and IV.

After a few minutes, a particularly friendly nurse named Sue came in, put a cap on Claudia's feeding tube, removed the IV and wheeled her away to the bathroom.

One painfully bumpy ride later, Nurse Sue was helping Claudia to stand. She turned her head to look at herself in the mirror, and gasped at the sight that met her. One thin hand flew to cover her mouth as she studied the face of the girl staring back at her. Her eyes traveled down, looking at the body that barely resembled the one she remembered. She was still sickly thin, and her face was marred. Tracing her cheek with a shaky hand, she recounted how each of the scars had occurred.

Cigarette burns, rings on his clenched fist, a knife...

"Claudia?" Sue's gentle voice pulled her away from the dark place and brought her back to reality. "You ready to get cleaned up?"

Claudia nodded, struggling to tear her gaze away from the horrible sight in the mirror. She began to shake, starting to panic.

With the help of Sue, she pulled the hospital gown off, and stood beneath the warm water, reveling in the feeling. She was still trembling, but she made it through the shower, and within twenty minutes, Claudia was clean, dry, in a new gown, back in her bed, and feeling much better.

She was still shaking when Sue came back with a glass of water. "Would you like a sleeping pill, or a mild sedative, or anything?"

Claudia frantically reached for the whiteboard next to her.

**No sedative. Sleeping pill?**

Sue smiled gently, "I can do that."

The friendly nurse disappeared for a minute, but returned with a pill and more water. Not five minutes after taking the sleeping pill, Claudia was out like a light.

* * *

Claudia was floating blissfully between sleep and consciousness, when she heard someone enter her room. She stirred lightly, reluctant to leave her peaceful state.

"C-Claudia?"

Her eyes snapped open, faintly recognizing the voice calling her name. She stared at the short, grey-haired agent standing before her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have... I mean, maybe I should have... I'm just," He pointed at the door, turning to leave, when a hoarse whisper reached his ears.

"A-aarrt-tie,"

He turned around, the whisper grabbing him and spinning him around.

"St-stayyy."

"Okay," he breathed, sitting down on the stiff armchair. He grasped her hand, "I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner."

Claudia pulled her hand out of his and the man's face fell. She pointed at the whiteboard, and he quickly handed it to her.

**Douche move, buddy.**

Artie laughed half-heartedly, relieved to see a small part of the snarky red-head shine through. "Yeah,"

**Why?**

"I guess... I was scared."

**It's okay. I might never**

The girl ran out of room on the small whiteboard.

"Oh, that reminds me. I brought you something." Artie reached into his infamous black leather back, and pulled out a steampunk-y digital tablet. Turning it on, he opened the notepad app, and handed it to her. She smirked weakly at him, and began to type slowly. Her fingers shook, her hand cramped, and she occasionally hit a wrong key, but it was faster and easier than trying to write.

**I might never be the same. It scares me too.**

The words tugged on the hardened agent's heartstrings, "Oh, Claude, you know that we will love you now matter what, right?"

His surrogate daughter nodded, but she didn't seem very convinced.

"Is there anything you need or want here? Reading maybe? Or something to tinker with?"

**Something easy. A kids book? No mechanics yet. That will just frustrate me.**

"Okay," Artie said quickly, mentally kicking himself for not thinking. She had a hard enough time trying to do simple tasks with her hands, much less deal with delicate machinery.

"T-tir-red."

"You want me to go?"

Her faded, red-tipped hair bounced as she nodded her head.

"Can I come visit you again soon?"

She gave another nod.

As soon as he left, her eyes closed, and she fell asleep, going back to the blissful state she was in before.

* * *

The next morning Claudia was woken promptly at seven.

"Wake up, Claudia." a gentle voice prompted.

"W-w-what's happ-ppen-ning?"

"You're having your first psychiatrist appointment." a nurse told her.

"O-oh,"

"Because you're still sort of immobile, Dr. Bahar is going to come to you."

"M-man or w-woman?"

"Woman."

The tech-genius nodded, trying to quell her oncoming panic.

"She'll be here in about fifteen minutes. Do you need anything in the meantime?"

The girl shook her head, faded red hair flying, and the nurse left. Claudia began shaking as she waited.

An eternity later, a small middle-eastern woman walked in after rapping on the door.

"Claudia? I'm Doctor Bahar," the woman said with a faint accent.

Claudia couldn't stop shaking, and didn't answer the woman.

"I understand you have trouble speaking. You would prefer to write, or type?"

The girl nodded and picked up her tablet with a shaking hand. She felt like she was going to be sick.

"Let's start off just getting to know each other a bit, okay? So, how old are you?"

**23**

"Okay. Do you have any family? If so, can you tell me about them?"

**I have a brother named Joshua.**

"And your parents?"

**Dead. Along with my sister.**

"I'm very sorry to hear that. I hear some friends have been visiting you here in the hospital. Tell me about them."

**Artie is my boss and my annoying father-figure. Myka, Pete, HG, and Leena are my coworkers.**

"Are you very close with them?"

**They are my family. Besides Joshua.**

"That's nice. How do you feel about discussing your time in captivity?"

The girl didn't respond, but began to visibly tremble.

"Okay, why don't we stay in the present moment?"

But the tech-genius was already too far gone. She stared into space, and began to whimper as the doctor got up from her chair, reaching to check the girl's pulse. The touch sent Claudia into hysterics and she began screaming. Quickly, a nurse ran in, pulling out a plastic syringe filled with sedatives. She injected Claudia, who sank back down to the pillows after another moment of struggle.

* * *

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, Claudia finally came-to, declaring that she was hungry and wanted to eat. Over the next few days, Claudia continued to see Dr. Bahar, and gradually began to talk about her time in captivity. She learned coping skills, and how to control her breathing when she felt a panic attack coming on. She was told that the hard parts of therapy were almost over, and that she was making great progress.

Her NG tube was removed, and she was eating solid foods on her own. Slowly, she was re-gaining the weight she had lost, and the tech-genius began looking a lot better.

Claudia began occupational therapy, and was doing very well with that. She was taken on walks around the ward, and on good days, she was allowed to go outside.

* * *

One Monday morning, Pete came to visit Claudia just as she was finishing up the day's occupational therapy.

"Okay, the last thing on our list is a walk around the ward." Linda, the OT instructed as Claudia groaned, "I know it's not your favorite activity, but it's important to start building up your leg strength so you can go home."

"Hey Claude," Pete said with a smile, "Could I take her out for a walk instead of you, Linda?"

"Sure,"

Claudia slowly got out of the chair in which she was sitting, and held her IV pole with one hand, and Pete's steadying arm with the other. As they began to walk into the hall, Claudia leaned heavily on Pete. She had a pronounced limp, which was partly from a broken leg which had healed incorrectly. The doctors thought that the other part of it was psychosomatic. She walked slowly, the pain burning throughout her body, and by the time they had made a lap around the ward, Claudia was red and out of breath.

"Good job, Claude," Pete said as he helped her sit back in her bed.

"Th-thanks," the tech-genius picked up her tablet and typed something. She was getting faster at it.

**What's happening around the Warehouse?**

"Oh, not much. It's been a lot happier since you've been back."

"Y-yeah?"

"Yep. It missed you. We all missed you... Hey, Myka and I snagged some gold earrings that belonged to Montezuma." he said, quickly brightening the mood.

"N-nice."

They exchanged unimportant chit-chat for a few more minutes before Pete got a call from Artie, telling him that he needed to get back, and that inventory was not going to do itself.

Pete made an inappropriate comment about something doing itself, and Claudia laughed. The two exchanged goodbyes, with the promise that Pete would be back soon, and with that, the agent left, leaving the faded red-head to her own devices.

* * *

Leena came to visit Claudia two weeks after her first visit. She tried to ignore Claudia's aura, but she couldn't help but notice that the grey wasn't as dull and had a silvery shine to it, and that the black spots weren't as large, or dark. She also saw that the silver-grey was taking on a faint purple hue. The girl was returning to normal.

"Joshua is coming to see you."

The young woman brightened, lips turning up slightly.

She clutched her tablet and began typing.

**Really? Is he still working at CERN?**

"Yes, but Myka called him, and he wants to see you. His plane arrives later today. Is it alright if he comes to see you tonight?"

Claudia nodded vehemently.

"He said to tell you that he misses and loves you."

Claudia started tearing up, and Leena, knowing that the girl never liked anyone to see her cry, excused herself.

Claudia heard Leena slip out the door, and started to compose herself. She wanted to look nice when Josh showed up. She hit the call button and waited for one of the nurses to come in.

* * *

**Well, did you like it? Please leave a review and let me know what you liked, or what you think will happen.**


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